Flyers Extend D Andrew MacDonald

The Flyers have extended recently acquired defenseman Andrew MacDonald to a six-year, $30 million deal on Tuesday.

MacDonald, 27, played in 82 games this season despite sitting the last day for the Flyers. He scored four goals and 24 assists on the season, including four assists in 19 games with the Flyers.

MacDonald was acquired from the Islanders before the trade deadline for a pair of draft picks and AHL player Matt Mangene. He joined Mark Streit on the blueline, his teammate in New York since 2008.

The move suggests the Flyers are looking at MacDonald to play a more significant role next season. With Kimmo Timonen's $6 million coming off the books, it's possible MacDonald is going to help fill that hole.

With the Islanders, MacDonal averaged over 25 minutes of ice time skating on the top defensive pairing. His role diminished to 22 minutes a game now that he's on a better defensive unit, but he has been a part of the special teams every game.

Most notably, MacDonald led the NHL in blocked shots with 242, and he was just one of three players with over 200 blocked shots.